As MILB fans and organizations continue to fight against MLB’s proposal to eliminate 42 minor-league teams, several mayors are now taking their own action to preserve baseball in their communities.
In an announcement released with MILB, the mayors of Chattanooga, Tenn., Dayton, Ohio and Columbia, S.C. announced the launch of the “Mayors’ Task Force to Save Minor League Baseball” to keep minor-league baseball from being diminished across the country.
All three cities are home to minor-league teams and the Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds, Double-A team) are one of the teams facing potential elimination. The task force will be co-chaired by Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke.
MLB has cited the need to pay players more and improve minor-league facilities as the reasoning for proposed cuts across MILB. This, of course, comes at a time when MLB enjoyed record revenue during the 2019 season.
The fight between MLB and the MILB gained attention at the start of the offseason, but attention wore off with the start of free agency and the league’s sign-stealing scandal. It now appears things are about to pick up again, with much of it likely to play out publicly.